


an intolerable tenderness

by originality (smallredboy)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Based on a Dungeons & Dragons Game, Caretaking, Implied/Referenced Cannibalism, M/M, Minor Injuries, Pining, Post-Battle, Touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25170115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallredboy/pseuds/originality
Summary: After the battle, they go back to the cave where they started off.
Relationships: Nilros/Sundagur
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2
Collections: Froday Flash Fiction Little & Monthly Specials 2020





	an intolerable tenderness

**Author's Note:**

> **fffc's 100th special:** vulnerable
> 
> this is with the characters for this d&d oneshot my friends and i had together this tuesday, in which we were the bad guys in the final battle against two stereotypical anime protagonists. it was loads of fun and i'm thinking a lot about these two.
> 
> nilros was my character, he's a half-elf mastermind rogue loosely based off hannibal lecter because i can't turn the hyperfixation off. sundagur is a human berserker barbarian, dogwood is a yuan-ti celestial warlock (and also 17 years old) and calamity is a tiefling death cleric. 
> 
> i might write more of this, most notably sundagur/nilros because i am ATTACHED and sundagur's player gave me the green light on making them kiss.
> 
> enjoy!

"There you are," Sundagur says.

Nilros blinks once, twice, getting used to the scenery in front of him. He doesn't know for how long he was knocked unconscious, but what he does know is that he's awake now, and that there is no trace of the human, Takeshi, the one they were trying to knock down. The half-orc Garudo is still there on the ground, dead, though.

He feels strangely vulnerable in this position, this giant of a man looking at him without looking at him. He can't see any part of his face, it obscured by the mask he wears at all times… he's even learned how to sleep with it on. He's a walking mystery, there with Eltzi's armada only for the pay and for little else.

"Hey," Nilros says as he slowly gets up. "Where's… where's the human?"

"He was banished to another realm by Dogwood," Calamity informs him. She looks exhausted. "You won't get anything of his, I'm afraid."

He chuckles, shakes his head. "That's fine, that's fine. We should get going."

"We should take a rest first," Dogwood says. "I'm _exhausted_ and I don't wanna go back to my dad—"

"I'd rather not take a rest right next to a dead body," Calamity sneers. "We could go back to the cave we were getting ready in."

"I suppose so," Nilros says. He turns to Sundagur. "What do you think?"

He turns to face him, tilts his head. "I don't mind either way."

When he first saw Sundagur, he expected his voice to be gruff and deep and a little scary, with his seven-foot-four height and how he seems to be pure muscle hidden under layers of cloth as to not be seen, as to not be vulnerable to anything on Earth. But his voice is melodic, almost sweet; it makes him think of a pond with water lilies in it, before it is destroyed by the ferocity of Sundagur's actions, the way he wields his ax and kills without a second's worth of hesitance.

It's not like _he_ hesitates, mind you. But not with the same ferocity and rage Sundagur seems to hold inside him. He's calm, collected, takes it in stride but without being brutal.

"Okay," Nilros says, turns to Calamity and Dogwood, gives them a small smile. "Considering Dogwood's the boss' daughter, I think her word's law. Let's go to the cave."

Calamity pulls a face. "Her word is _not_ law—"

"It was a joke, I think, Cal," Dogwood replies.

When they get back to the cave, Nilros almost immediately collapses and leans onto one of the walls, tilting his head against it as he relaxes. He closes his eyes, ready to sleep (because by God did being knocked unconscious not help him rest at _all_ ), when he feels a hand on him. He nearly balks and stands up, until he realizes they're Sundagur's.

"I'm the least injured of here," he says. "So I thought I would check up on you, as you were the one that got it roughest."

"Dogwood nearly died," he argues. "And she's the boss' daughter. Shouldn't you be taking care of her first?"

Sundagur makes a noise, almost a groan. "Well, she's _fine_ now," he says.

"And I'm also fine now."

"You're not. Or at least I can't be sure you are. Let me give you a check-up."

"I'm the one with the background in healing here," he says.

"Well, you got your healer's license revoked because you got caught eating people," Sundagur snarks, "so I apologize for not trusting your _abilities_. Just take that armor off."

Nilros complies, against his better judgment. He peels off his studded leather armor until he's left in the clothes beneath it— a shirt and his underpants. He lets out a sigh as Sundagur immediately gets to work, looking over his injuries, running his hands down the cuts from the attacks at the hands of Takeshi and Garudo.

"They don't look too bad," Sundagur says. "I have, uh, some balm in my bag, to prevent infections. Would you mind if I—"

"This is kinda gay, you know!" Dogwood exclaims from the other side of the small cave.

Nilros flushes red. "Uh…"

Sundagur huffs and turns to Dogwood, straightening up to look threatening, before changing his mind and turning back to take care of Nilros' wounds. 

"She's just a kid," he mumbles under his breath. "She's just a kid. I can't… okay."

"You can use the balm, if you'd so like," he says.

Sundagur nods. He spreads the balm against his left arm, taking care of the cuts therein, and the action is so full of intimacy it makes Nilros dizzy. He wishes Sundagur would pull his damned mask off for this, so it wouldn't feel like he was the only one getting any satisfaction, any feeling from this. He would like to see his face, his eyes… he wonders what he looks like underneath that mask.

All he knows is that he has long, long hair, red and unruly, a beautiful color. All he wants is to run his hands through it, catch them between the knots, brush it until it's in a better state.

"Could I return the favor somehow?" Nilros asks. "I could — I don't know — brush your hair, check you for injuries."

Sundagur huffs. 

"I am fine as it is, Nilros," he says. "You don't owe me anything."

He won't say this out loud, not now or ever, but he wishes he did owe him anything, so they could spend more time together. But their mission has come to a screeching halt after the death of their enemies, and all they have left is for Sundagur to leave them after he gets the money he has been promised.

He likes Eltzi's organization, the way the world will be theirs now that there's nothing opposing them. But Sundagur will go do something else far away from them — and he hopes to God that he will not disappear off the map during his dangerous quests, all with the simple purpose of _money_.

"Maybe we should take over where Eltzi stands," Nilros whispers, quiet so Dogwood doesn't hear, "you do not have to leave us so soon, Sundagur."

"I do," he replies. "I am here because of the pay. Nothing more, nothing less. I have no interest in ruling the world."

He considers this, and he lets out a sigh. "You can come to me if you need anything. Don't hesitate to contact me."

Sundagur scoffs, but there's a tone he can't help but interpret as fondness under it. "If I need an evil ex-healer… I'll call you."

Nilros manages a smile.


End file.
